Jiuquan, Wade-Giles romanization Chiu-ch’üan, also spelled Kiuchüan, city, western Gansusheng (province), China. An important staging post on the ancient Silk Road to Central Asia, Jiuquan was founded in 111 bce as a military outpost. From 602 ce onward it was the seat of Suzhou prefecture, and under the Tang dynasty (618–907) it was given its present name. From the 5th century onward, it became the seat of a cult centred on two sets of cave temples in Wenshu (Mañjúsrī’s) Mountain about 9 miles (14 km) to the southwest. Subsequently, however, because of the decay of the old Silk Road, the city became comparatively insignificant and remained so until the 20th century.

The western limit of the Great Wall of China viewed from a Ming fortress (1372), near Jiuquan, …

Wolfgang Kaehler

Jiuquan’s modern development began in the late 1950s with the discovery of vast iron-ore deposits at Mount Jingtie to the south and the development of coal mines at Shandan to the southeast, both served by the Lanzhou-Xinjiang railway. A large integrated iron and steel plant subsequently was built near Jiuquan. Other local industries include chemical production, the manufacture of electrical machinery, and papermaking. Jiquan is noted for its renowned brilliantly coloured yeguangbei (“night-glittering cup”) jade goblets, which continue to be a valuable local handiwork. Just to the west of the city stands Jiayu Pass, the western terminus of the Great Wall. One of China’s major rocket-launching facilities is located north of Jiuquan. Pop. (2002 est.) 121,975.

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in Gansu

...(June to August) and winter (December to February), with uneven and unpredictable precipitation throughout the year. In the west the average January temperature is 18 °F (−8 °C) in Jiuquan, for instance, and 19 °F (−7 °C) in Dunhuang, 200 miles (320 km) west of Jiuquan. The temperature in July in Jiuquan is 70 °F (21 °C), and in Dunhuang it is 81 °F...

sheng (province), north-central and northwestern China. It is bordered by Mongolia to the north, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the northeast, the Hui Autonomous Region of Ningxia and the province of Shaanxi to the east, the provinces of Sichuan and Qinghai to the south and southwest, and...

ancient trade route that, linking China with the West, carried goods and ideas between the two great civilizations of Rome and China. Silk came westward, while wools, gold, and silver went east. China also received Nestorian Christianity and Buddhism (from India) via the road.